The five renewable energy technologies do very different jobs on the grid. This guide ranks them by installed capacity, electricity generated, capacity factor, cost, and future outlook, using 2024 to 2025 data from IEA and IRENA. If you want a single view of how the renewable portfolio actually splits out, everything is in the tables below.
Ranking renewables by any single metric misses the picture. Solar leads deployment; hydro leads generation; geothermal wins on capacity factor; wind sits in the middle on most measures. The right way to compare is on multiple axes, and to understand what each metric implies for grid role. This guide walks through each.
Ranked by installed capacity
| Rank | Source | Installed capacity 2025 (GW) | Share of total renewable capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Solar PV | ~1,500 | ~35% |
| 2 | Hydropower | ~1,400 | ~33% |
| 3 | Wind (onshore + offshore) | ~1,100 | ~26% |
| 4 | Bioenergy | ~145 | ~3% |
| 5 | Geothermal | ~16 | ~0.4% |
| Total | All renewables | ~4,200 | 100% |
Solar has grown faster than any other renewable technology in the past decade, overtaking hydropower on installed capacity in 2023. Wind is close behind, with the offshore segment adding capacity fastest. Bioenergy and geothermal remain small in installed capacity terms but hold specific strategic roles. Data source: IRENA Renewable Capacity Statistics 2024.
Ranked by electricity generated
| Rank | Source | Generation 2024 (TWh) | Share of renewable electricity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hydropower | ~4,300 | ~47% |
| 2 | Wind | ~2,300 | ~25% |
| 3 | Solar PV | ~2,000 | ~22% |
| 4 | Bioenergy | ~750 | ~8% |
| 5 | Geothermal | ~100 | ~1% |
Ranking flips when we look at electricity actually generated. Hydropower dominates because it runs at higher capacity factors than variable renewables. Solar has less installed capacity than hydro on paper but generates less electricity because average capacity factor is lower.
Ranked by capacity factor
| Rank | Source | Typical capacity factor | Grid role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geothermal | 75 to 90% | Base load, dispatchable |
| 2 | Bioenergy | 60 to 80% | Base load, dispatchable |
| 3 | Hydro (reservoir) | 35 to 60% | Bulk energy, dispatchable |
| 4 | Wind offshore | 40 to 55% | Variable |
| 5 | Wind onshore | 25 to 45% | Variable |
| 6 | Hydro (run of river) | 25 to 45% | Variable seasonal |
| 7 | Solar PV | 12 to 28% | Variable diurnal |
Ranked by unsubsidised levelised cost of electricity
| Rank | Source | Typical LCOE (USD per MWh) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (cheapest) | Solar PV in high irradiance regions | 20 to 40 |
| 2 | Onshore wind in high resource regions | 30 to 50 |
| 3 | Hydro (existing plants, new builds vary) | 30 to 80 |
| 4 | Onshore wind (average sites) | 40 to 70 |
| 5 | Solar PV (average irradiance) | 50 to 80 |
| 6 | Offshore wind | 60 to 100 |
| 7 | Bioenergy | 60 to 130 |
| 8 | Geothermal (natural) | 60 to 100 |
| 9 | Geothermal (enhanced) | 100 to 200 |
Solar and wind have fallen far faster than the other renewables over the past decade. In favourable locations they are now the cheapest source of new electricity globally. See the Lazard Levelized Cost of Energy analysis for the annual comparison.
Ranked by 2050 growth potential
| Source | Current (GW) | IEA net zero 2050 target (GW) | Growth multiple |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solar PV | ~1,500 | ~14,000 | ~9x |
| Wind | ~1,100 | ~8,000 | ~7x |
| Hydropower | ~1,400 | ~2,600 | ~2x |
| Bioenergy | ~145 | ~350 | ~2x |
| Geothermal | ~16 | ~150 to 300 | ~10 to 20x |
Lifecycle carbon footprint
| Source | gCO2 per kWh (lifecycle) |
|---|---|
| Wind | 8 to 20 |
| Hydropower | 4 to 40 (reservoir higher) |
| Solar PV | 25 to 50 |
| Geothermal | 15 to 55 |
| Bioenergy | 10 to 100 (feedstock dependent) |
| (Reference) Coal | 800 to 1200 |
| (Reference) Natural gas | 400 to 500 |
Land use intensity
Land intensity varies by orders of magnitude. Solar and wind have larger land footprint than fossil generation but land can be shared with agriculture or ecosystems. Hydro reservoirs can be very land intensive. Geothermal has the smallest footprint per unit energy.
| Source | Land intensity (m2 per MWh annual) |
|---|---|
| Solar PV (utility scale) | 15 to 40 |
| Wind (turbine footprint only) | 1 to 3 |
| Wind (full site including spacing) | 50 to 150 |
| Hydro (reservoir dependent) | 10 to 500+ |
| Bioenergy (feedstock land) | 500 to 2500 |
| Geothermal | 0.5 to 5 |
What each source is best at
- Solar PV: cheap distributed daytime generation. Best for markets with strong daytime demand or well developed storage.
- Wind: cheap variable generation with different profile from solar. Offshore particularly for high resource coastal markets.
- Hydropower: bulk generation, dispatchable, storage services. Best for markets with existing capacity or unexploited resource.
- Geothermal: base load renewable, complements variable. Best for geologically favourable regions and increasingly anywhere via EGS.
- Bioenergy: dispatchable renewable, links to waste and agriculture, provides heat and fuel not just electricity. Best where feedstock is available sustainably.
Regional deployment patterns
Storage as a portfolio component
Battery storage is often lumped in with renewables in policy discussions. Technically it is a service, not a generation source, but its rapid deployment is transforming how variable renewables integrate. Storage cost has fallen 80 percent since 2015 and continues to fall. Combined with solar and wind, storage is what makes 24/7 renewable supply commercially viable.
Frequently asked questions
Why does solar rank first on capacity but third on generation?
Because solar has a lower capacity factor. 1 GW of solar generates less electricity per year than 1 GW of hydro.
Which renewable will grow fastest?
Solar in absolute terms; geothermal in percentage terms if EGS commercialises.
Which is cheapest?
Solar in high irradiance regions, on unsubsidised LCOE.
Which has the lowest carbon footprint?
Wind, followed by solar and hydro (reservoir hydro higher due to methane from flooded biomass).
Which is most reliable?
Geothermal and biomass on capacity factor. Hydro (reservoir) on dispatchability. Wind and solar as parts of a portfolio with storage.
Do rankings change with local conditions?
Absolutely. A high irradiance region can favour solar dominant portfolios; a windy coast may favour offshore wind; a volcanic region may favour geothermal.
Where does nuclear fit?
Nuclear is low carbon but not renewable. It plays a firm generation role in many decarbonisation pathways.
What about hydrogen?
Hydrogen is an energy carrier not a source. Green hydrogen is made from renewables via electrolysis.
Is there a downside to solar dominance?
Daily variability. Solar dominant grids need overnight energy from storage, hydro, or other dispatchable sources.
Which is best for a country starting today?
Depends on local resource. Most emerging markets should focus on solar first for cost and speed of deployment.
Summary
The five renewable sources rank very differently on each metric. Solar and wind dominate new deployment on cost. Hydro dominates total generation on capacity factor. Geothermal and bioenergy provide firm base load. A working renewable portfolio uses all of them, matched to regional resources and integrated with storage. Ranking by any single metric misses the picture; the multi metric view shows why each source has a role.
Next reading
- Renewable energy complete guide
- Geothermal energy explained
- Countries running on 90 percent renewable electricity
- Browse the UtilityRadar directory
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